Section 5 in The Maharashtra Land Revenue (Assessment and Settlement of Land Revenue of Agricultural Lands) Rules, 1970
5. Enquiry by Settlement Officer.
- In making Settlement of land revenue of agricultural lands the Settlement Officer shall examine fully the past revenue history of the zone, the impact of development activities undertaken by the State Government and assess the general effect of the incidence of assessment on the social and economic conditions of the people in the zone. He shall collect information relating to the zone in respect of the following matters and in the following manner, namely :-(i)Physical Configuration - The Settlement Officer shall base the information about physical configuration of the zone on inquiries and observations made by him personally.(ii)Climate and rainfall - The Settlement Officer shall base the information as regards climate on personal observations made by him and by making local inquiries in the zone. He shall collect statistics of rainfall for thirty years preceding the year in which the settlement enquiry is held, from the Director of Agriculture and compile the same in Form 1. He shall also collect information regarding the seasonal conditions of the zone from the Director of Agriculture and verify it by reference to the Annual Land Revenue Administration reports or reports relating to the Zone issued by the State Government.(iii)Prices - The Settlement Officer obtain information about the wholesale price per quintal and retail price per kilogram of the principal crops which prevailed at each marketing centre in the zone for the last ten years from the Director of Agriculture and compile it in Form 2. Where more varieties than one of any of the crops are grown, the prices of such varieties may be specified by the Settlement Commissioner shall be obtained:Provided that in places for where the Director of Agriculture is not able to furnish such information, such prices for agricultural produce at the marketing centre in the zone used had been controlled by the State Government for any period then in respect of such crop the prices shall be collected for the period during which the prices were not so controlled.The Settlement Officer shall thereupon work out the average of the whole prices so collected in respect of each marketing centre and compile it in Form 3.The Settlement Officer shall thereafter calculate on the basis of information collected in Form 3, the average wholesale prices of the crops in respect of the villages in the group selected under clause (iv), and compile it in Form 4. The average prices so determined shall be called the settlement price for the group.(iv)Yield of Principal crops - For the purposes of this clause, the Settlement Officer shall, with the previous sanction of the Settlement Commissioner, select such number of villages in the group as may not be less then 25 per cent of the total number of villages in the group. In respect of the villages so selected the Settlement Officer shall collect from the Collector and the Director of Agriculture, the information regarding the result of crop experiments recorded by them for the last ten years or for such lesser number of years, as may be available. He shall also try to ascertain by crop experiments or by examination of accounts of individual agriculturists, the normal yield per hectare of the principal crops grown on each class of land not having extra advantages such as well, alluvial deposits, budkies, and irrigation. He shall tabulate the information so collected in Forms 5 and 6 in respect of each of the village as selected showing the average yield per hectare and therefrom calculate the average yield per hectare for all selected villages which will be the average for the group. He shall then calculate the cash value of average yield at the settlement price determined under clause (iii).(v)Markets - The Settlement Officer shall base the information about markets in the zone on personal observations and local enquiries made by him.(vi)Communications - The Settlement Officer shall base the information about communications in the zone on personal observation and local enquiries and local enquiries made by him.(vii)Standard of Husbandry - The Settlement Officer shall base the information about standard of husbandry on personal observations and local enquiries made by him.(viii)Population of supply of labour - The Settlement Officer shall collect information about population of the zone according to occupation from the last census report and shall compile the information regarding population in Form 7. He shall also ascertain the conditions as regards supply of the villages selected by him under clause (iv).(ix)Agricultural resources - The Settlement Officer shall obtain information regarding figures of live-stock, agricultural implements and other agricultural resources from the Tahsildar and shall compile it in Form 8.(x)Variations in area of occupied and cultivated lands during the last thirty years - The Settlement Officer shall obtain the information regarding variations in area of occupied and cultivated and cultivated lands during the last thirty years from the Tahsildar and shall compile it in Forms 9 and 10.(xi)Wages - The Settlement Officer shall obtain the information about wages from the Tahsildar, and verify the information about wages current during the year of enquiry from personal observations. He shall compile the information in Form 11.(xii)Ordinary expenses of cultivating principal crops, including the value of the labour in cultivating the land in terms of wages - The information about Ordinary expenses of cultivation principal crops, including the value of the labour in cultivating the land in terms of wages shall be collected on the basis of crops experiments referred to in clause (iv) or by examining the accounts of individual agriculturists.
